2017 Season

Edition No. 28

September 8, 2017

WAHOOS LEAD, REDBIRDS BLEED

The story of Week 22 is that the Wahoos have padded their already sizeable lead by outdistancing the flagging Redbirds by the tune of 534.1 points to 410.7 points, increasing their now insurmountable lead to 374 points. 

Elsewhere, the Bear Turds had a second straight en fuego week with 556.7 points, leapfrogging the Cubs and snuggling into the final money position.  Here are the standings for Week 22 and the point totals for the week:

STANDINGS FOR WEEK 22

ENDING SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

POINT TOTALS FOR WEEK 22

TOP 25 PITCHERS THROUGH WEEK 22

TOP 25 HITTERS THROUGH WEEK 22

SCREECH BY THE NUMBERS

I loved Screech’s positive response to his inadvertent snubbing in last week’s From the Bullpen, which is worthy of repeating here:

Let’s take a trip around baseball using the actual word counts (bolded number) from a recent Bullpen describing the character that each HSL member is.

BT, 284 – Also the number of career wins for starting pitchers Tony Mullane and Fergie Jenkins. Mullane racked up his 284 wins in 504 starts in the years 1881 thru 1894. The better known Jenkins accumulated his 284 wins in 1965 thru 1983 playing for the Phillies, Cubs, Rangers, Red Sox, Rangers again, and Cubs for a 2nd stint.

Shamu, 244 – The number of strikeouts for KC Royals legend Dennis Leonard in 1977 (244), career saves for another KC legend Dan Quisenberry (244), and the number of career games in powder blue for Marty “Bulldog” Pattin (244). Clearly these would have fit Blongo better but he didn’t garner the needed word count.

Underbelly, 227 – Along with his 227 hits in 1924, Rogers Hornsby raked for a .424 batting average, which is the sixth-highest batting average in a single season in MLB history. Hornsby led the league that year with 89 walks, producing a .507 on-base percentage. His slugging percentage of .696 again led the league, as did his 121 runs scored, 227 hits, and 43 doubles; he hit 25 home runs as well.

Big Johnny, 145 – Victory number 20 of 22 in Bob Gibson’s Cy Young year of 1968 was the 145th of his Cardinals career. That same year Gibson outpaced Pete Rose and Willie McCovey for the NL MVP award. Also that year the Jaeger Bomb was invented at Mike Shannon’s outside Busch Stadium (not true) and Michael Ray McGee turned 9 years of age (true).

Stretch, 116 – The number of 1906 wins for the Cubs, the 2001 wins for the Mariners, and Blongo’s word count. 116. Also the number of career games for The Mad Hungarian and Royals luminary, Al Hrabosky. One last Royals shout-out for Blongo – in his Royals career Bruce Chen started 113 games and received 3 save opportunities. 116.

Tirebiter, 61 – The low hanging fruit would be Roger Maris’ 61 homers in ’61. But who knew that in 1961 John “Honey” Romano received 61 bases on balls, Don “Tiger” Hoak had 61 RBIs, and Danny O’Connell scored 61 runs. Also in 1961, under the tutelage of Otto Vogel, the Iowa Hawkeye Nine finished their season a pedestrian 8-16-0 for 8th place in the Big Ten.

Magpie, 44 - The number 44 has been worn by many sluggers since Hank Aaron proudly wore it on his back. Other notable examples include Willie McCovey and Reggie Jackson, along with current players Anthony Rizzo and Paul Goldschmidt. Of note in 1944, Joe Haynes of the Pale Hose in 154 innings allowed 44 earned runs while walking 44.

PAwesome, 40 – A few related baseball feats… Cy Young’s 9 seasons of 40+ complete games and the exclusive 40-40 club of Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Alfonso Soriano. The 1973 Atlanta Braves were the first team to have 4 batters achieve 40 or more home runs in the same season – Hank Aaron (40), Darrell Evans (41), and Davey Johnson (43).

Mouse, 39 – For the 1939 Yankees Red Ruffing proved his versatility by leading all Bronx pitchers with 39 total bases from the plate. Also in 1939, patrolling the OF for the Bombers George Selkirk posted an RAA* of 39. (*Runs Better Than Average. Though in 1939 no one knew what the f*ck it was)

Big Guy, 28 – Staying with the favorite team theme, the 1928 Tigers included 28 year old Sam Gibson who that season batted to an average of .286 and an OPS of .628. The same Detroit squad included 28 year old Marty McManus who batted .288. Lastly, no player on the 1928 Motor City Kitties wore the uniform number of 28. Not until 1931 did the 28 appear on Orlin Collier.

Slopay, 22 – I know how proud Denny is of his roots, so let’s start with the lat/lon coordinates of his beloved Rockets - 40°50′22″N 96°38′08″W. Back to baseball, along with Stanton losing his mind, the 2017 Turds include Avisail Garcia and his 22 doubles, Hector Neris and his 22 runs allowed, and Dominic Leone and his 22 free passes. Walter Johnson holds the career shut-out record at 110. For perspective, a pitcher would have to throw 5 shutouts annually for 22 seasons to tie The Big Train.

Screech, 0 – In 1900 Honus Wagner batted the highest average of his career at .381, while Rube Waddell led the Bigs with a 2.37 ERA. Also in 1900 Herman “German” Long led the league with 12 HRs. Fast forward to 2000 when 16 players hit 40 or more round-trippers led by Sammy Sosa’s 50. Other notable zeros – the number of dingers Cecil Fielder hit in the 1990 Home Run Derby – 0, in 2011 Eugenio Velez went 0 for 37 for the Dodgers before getting shuffled off to the minors, and the legendary Mendoza Line of .200, though Mario hit .215 for his career, making him at least a little better than we thought.

All in good fun, Skipper. Omissions happen and things are forgotten. What was I saying?...

Oh yeah, you my friend are also a character, and a man of character. Caring father, committed and fun-loving husband, great friend, and league scribe. Whether dwelling in the cellar or… well, dwelling in the cellar, you remain committed to this grand game and this band of brothers.

Much love for you all.

Beautiful, Screech.  Pitch-perfect response.  You got the point across, and it was well-measured.  Lesson learned by me:  Have someone else check the count in such instances to make sure that I have not left anyone out.  Some days, I am lucky to be able to count to ten, much less twelve or thirteen. 

But just to make sure that I have properly atoned for my sin, I have decided to include in this issue of From the Bullpen a special feature and a couple of  fun facts about Screech, to-wit:

TOP TEN THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SCREECH

10.    Is our sitting Lieutenant Governor, serving at the Pleasure of Pete Ricketts.

9.      Has a moderately-sized tattoo of each HSL owner [F1] sans Skipper on his back, shoulders or torso.

8.      Is the separated-at-birth fraternal twin of John Sena.

7.      Could have gone on The Trip this year but opted not to in solidarity with PAwesome and Scooter.  Also, not yet ready to bunk in twin bed [F2] with Foster.

6.      Has pledged the first names of all future grandchildren to be Edson, Tedson, Ted and Max in exchange for another comped dinner at Phlemings.

5.      When he first accepted a position at the GALLUP org, assumed he would be riding horses across Central Nebraska fast apace and breaking them in.  [F3]

4.      Finished 5th in the 1982 Pillsbury Scotcheroo baking contest--so close to making the bake-offs!

3.      Has autographed boxer shorts from Paul Lynde, George Gobel, Harvey Korman, Rich Little, Charlie Weaver, Marty Allen, McLean Stevenson, and many other former stars of Hollywood Squares.

2.      Is not wearing a stitch of clothing at this very moment.  [F4]

1.      Is free on bail--for now. 

That’s a total of 285 words about you, Screech.  Tops in the Hot Stove League!

Fun Facts About 285

Pascual Pérez, traded to the Braves in June 1982, had just received his driver’s license and earned the nicknames “Perimeter Pascual” and “Wrong-Way Perez” after missing a start on August 19, 1982 while circling Atlanta's Interstate 285 (a ring road/beltway) 3 times looking for Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.  He ran out of gas and arrived at the ballpark 10 minutes late.

Craig Biggio holds the number 2 spot in the record list for Career Number of Times Hit by a Pitch, 285.  Sitting atop the list is Hughie Jennings, who was hit two more times than Biggio during his 18-year career, while Biggio’s career spanned 20.  Both are in the Hall of Fame, but not for this accomplishment.  

The breakout rookie campaign of New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge has been exciting for baseball fans. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds, the 25-year-old is one of the biggest baseball players of all-time. As if it wasn’t evident enough, every Judge homer – he already has 39 through 474 at-bats — serves as a reminder that he is a mountain of a man. In early June, he hit one nearly 500 feet, the longest of the year in MLB.

The following 20-year players hold lifetime batting averages of .285:  Max Carey (20 years), Ted Simmons (21 years), Alan Trammell (20 years), Carl Yastrzemski (23 years), and Robin Yount (20 years). 

And below are the players on the list for Career Leaders for Batting Average who rank Nos. 414 through 437 on the list, sitting at .285.  No. 435 of these players is the one-of-a-kind Yogi Berra, who once described a batter by saying, “He hits from both sides of the plate.  He’s amphibious.”

BALLPARK REPORT:  CAL RIPKEN STADIUM

This past Monday, in the midst of a trip to the D.C. area to visit Michele’s daughter, Katy, and to see my old friend, Gordon Sumner [F5], we paid a visit to Cal Ripken, Jr. Stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland, about a 70-mile drive from the District of Columbia.  Built in 2002 to provide a home venue for the erstwhile Utica Blue Sox franchise which was purchased by Ripken, Cal Ripken Stadium is the green cathedral of the Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York-Penn League, which plays Single A ball.  Although this park does not rank in the top 100 of a 2015 ranking of Minor League ballparks, I humbly disagree.  A classic-appearing structure, with a beautiful outward façade of red brick, Cal Ripken Stadium is a comfortable and cozy place to watch a baseball game.  Out in right field, there is a place where you can buy a bucket of crabs and then eat them on an adjoining picnic table covered with brown butcher block paper, and there were several partakers when we ventured out to take a gander.  We opted for the more traditional baseball fare of polish dogs and salted peanuts to go with our beers. 

Located just to the left of the ballpark entrance is a mammoth Marriott Hotel which looks to be very nearly a replica of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad warehouse that adjoins right field at Camden Yards, and I was wondering why they didn’t locate it directly beyond left or right field at Cal Ripken Stadium, where it would have had greater impact.  

On a beautiful Monday Labor Day afternoon, we joyfully watched the home town IronBirds deliver a pounding to the visiting Yankees, using a 4-run bottom of the 6th to forge a seemingly insurmountable lead of 9-2, and after our full-throated participation in singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch, we decided to hit the road and get back to D.C. for dinner with Katy and her new boyfriend.  The only thing is, nobody on the Yankees’ roster got the memo that they were too far down to have a chance at a win, and I found out only later after checking the box score that the Staten Island Nine put up some crazy, crooked numbers in the last two frames, posting a 3-spot in the 8th and a #5 in the 9th to take the lead and hold on for the win.  Kendall Coleman, the left fielder for the Yankees, was the hitting star with 3 hits in four at-bats and 5 RBIs, including a 3-run jack in the top of the 8th which put the Islanders within striking distance.  The three relievers for the IronBirds who gave up the bulk of the scoring were a young man with the classic name of “Gray Fenter,” who went 1-2/3 innings and gave up the home run and 3 earned runs to elevate his ERA to 16.20; some poor sap named Zach Muckenhirn, who gave up 2 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning to raise his ERA to 5.59; and the pitcher who was tagged with the loss, William Reed Hayes, who pitched but a third of an inning and gave up 3 earned runs, jacking his ERA to 5.89.  Looks like the ’Birds could use a little help on the mound next season. 

And that is it for this issue of FTB, pardners.  Enjoy your weekend. 

Skipper

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F1 And 3 of BT.

F2 Or same county.

F3 And bought such a cool dude hat and cowboy buckle just for the occasion.

F4 According to the live streaming police surveillance. 

F5